Setting new year resolutions appears to be passe amongst spiritually-aware personal development experts. More people are recommending using intentions or themes to guide our directions at the start of a new year.

Since two years ago, I have also personally found it more helpful to be setting intentions rather than be engaged in traditional resolution setting. In fact, I have found that the use of power words and phrases – to encapsulate the essence or the meaning of the intent – very effective.

The whole idea of self-improvement and personal development hinges on a desire to become better in some way in order to get what you want. It is easy to recognize that your life is not how you want it to be; perhaps you want financial freedom, relationships that are more rewarding or a successful career. Whatever the dream, many people believe the first step in allowing it to manifest in your life is working out what changes need to be made.

There is, however, a crucial step which many people overlook. How can you make changes without first knowing yourself well enough to recognize where you are going wrong? The phrase ‘getting to know yourself’ is a tricky one. What exactly does it mean to ‘know yourself’? Surely, everyone knows himself or herself?